Assertions based on recently changed code

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to managing assertions in program source code in an integrated development environment (IDE) tool. According to one embodiment, the IDE tool receives a request to execute an application built from source code of a development project from a user interacting with an integrated development environment (IDE) tool. The IDE tool identifies changes to one or more of the source code of the development project from a previous version of the one or more source code. Based on the changes to the source code, the IDE tool selectively identifies one or more assertions to insert in the source code based on the identified changes.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to integrated development environment(IDE) tools, and more specifically, to managing source code assertionsin a source code component separately from the component.

Assertions are small segments of source code used to help debug acomputer program. An assertion typically specifies a condition used totest whether a program is functioning correctly. If the condition in anassertion evaluates to true, then the program is presumed to befunctioning correctly (at least relative to the condition specified inthe assertion). In such a case, the assertion does not interfere withprogram execution, apart from the overhead of testing the condition.However, if the condition in an assertion evaluates to false, theassertion could terminate the program, allow program execution tocontinue unhindered, throw an exception to leave the erroneous codepath, or allow a user to choose how to proceed.

Typically, developers manually include, edit, and remove assertions fromsource code while developing an application. As developers useassertions to test source code, developers will typically removeassertions from source code during the development process once code isbelieved to be functioning correctly. However, in some cases, code afteran assertion may depend on a variable introduced or process performedwithin the assertion.

Assertions vary in complexity and the amount of time required to executea given assertion during run-time. A simple assertion, such as checkingthe value of a variable (e.g., “assert (i>0)”) may have a minimal impacton processing. More complex assertions, such as determining whether theelements of a linked list are in a particular order may use a relativelylarge amount of processing time. Because processing assertions addsoverhead to executing a compiled program which includes the assertions,it may be desirable to remove some assertions before compiling sourcecode into program code.

However, as developers revise source code, some assertions (deleted fromsource code) may need to be recreated to test the revised code.

SUMMARY

One embodiment of the present invention includes a method for managingassertions in program source code in an integrated developmentenvironment (IDE). The method generally includes receiving, from a userinteracting with an integrated development environment (IDE) tool, arequest to execute an application built from source code of adevelopment project. Changes are identified to the source code of thedevelopment project from a previous version of the source code. Based onthe changes to the source code, one or more assertions to insert in thesource code are selectively identified based on the identified changes.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a computer-readablestorage medium having instructions, which, when executed on a processor,performs an operation for managing assertions in program source code inan integrated development environment (IDE). The operation generallyincludes receiving, from a user interacting with an integrateddevelopment environment (IDE) tool, a request to execute an applicationbuilt from source code of a development project. Changes are identifiedto the source code of the development project from a previous version ofthe source code. Based on the changes to the source code, one or moreassertions to insert in the source code are selectively identified basedon the identified changes.

Still another embodiment of the present invention provides a processorand a memory storing a program, which, when executed on the processor,performs an operation for managing assertions in program source code inan integrated development environment (IDE). The operation generallyincludes receiving, from a user interacting with an integrateddevelopment environment (IDE) tool, a request to execute an applicationbuilt from source code of a development project. Changes are identifiedto the source code of the development project from a previous version ofthe source code. Based on the changes to the source code, one or moreassertions to insert in the source code are selectively identified basedon the identified changes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example computing environment, according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example user-interface of an integrateddevelopment environment (IDE) tool, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method for defining assertions managed by an IDEtool, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example user-interface of an IDE tool, accordingto one embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of measurements used by an IDE to manageassertions in program source code, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates a method for an IDE to manage assertions in programsource code based on assertion priority, according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate example of function call graphs used by an IDE toidentify assertions in modified source code to activate, according toone embodiment.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example flow diagram for determining codecoverage, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 9 illustrates a method for an IDE to manage assertions in programsource code based on changes to the program source code, according toone embodiment.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example computing system, according to oneembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments presented herein describe techniques for managing assertionsoutside of program source code. Assertions are features provided by manyprogramming languages that can be used to test conditions beforeexecution of code (i.e., pre-conditions) and after execution of code(i.e., post-conditions). If an assertion fails, program execution can behalted, program execution can continue, the program can throw anexception to leave the erroneous code path, or the program can allow thedeveloper to choose how to proceed. Where program execution is halted orwhere an exception is thrown can be used to debug the source code;however, assertion failures can provide additional information to aid indebugging.

In one embodiment, an integrated development environment (IDE) toolincludes an assertion management component. As discussed in detailbelow, the assertion management component allows a developer to specifyassertions to include in program source code, when compiled. However, inone embodiment, the assertions are not stored in the source code filesof an application program. Instead, the IDE tool manages a relationshipbetween a location in program source code where a developer specifies anassertion. Further, the IDE tool manages when that that assertion isincluded in the program code, when compiled. For example, a developermay “activate” or “deactivate” an assertion, as well as properties orparameters used by the IDE tool to determine whether to insert anassertion into program source code, when compiled. When “active” the IDEinserts the assertion into program source code when that code iscompiled. When “inactive” the assertion is simply left out of the sourcecode.

The IDE tool may support a variety of programming languages whichinclude assertions. In addition to managing assertions, the IDE mayinclude a text editor and project tools for writing, compiling, anddebugging code. In some IDEs, code debugging tools allow developers tostep through code execution and view program state, variable values, andother data in a graphical environment.

The assertion manager allows a developer to add, remove, and manageassertions in source code, separately from the source code. To do so, anassertion manager may create associations between code and propertiesdefining an assertion and a location in source code. When code iscompiled in the development environment, the assertion manager caninsert some or all of the assertions defined through the assertionmanager.

In addition to allowing a developer to define assertions managed by theIDE tool, the IDE tool may also manage assertions across users orgroups. Some assertions may be particular to a user participating in aproject and need not be included when other users compile and test theproject. Assertions may also be owned by a group of users, and likewise,need not be included when members of other groups compile and test theproject.

Assertions managed by the IDE tool may include a duration in which theassertion is included in compiled code. A developer may define theduration as a fixed date at which the assertion expires or a time offsetfrom the last time the assertion is invoked during code execution.Alternatively, a developer can specify that an assertion is to be run asingle time instead of defining a duration in which the assertion isadded in compiled code.

The IDE tool may manage which assertions are included in compiled codebased on assertion priority and execution time. A developer may definean amount of program execution time allotted to executing assertions. Ifthe assertions take more time to execute than the allotted time, the IDEmay selectively remove assertions from future compilations based on theassertion priority and execution time, as described in more detailherein. The IDE may also manage which assertions are included incompiled code based on assertion priority and other resource utilizationthresholds, such as the size of compiled code.

Advantageously, managing assertions separately from program source codemay streamline program development. Over time, managing assertionsoutside of source code may prevent later-developed code from dependingon variables or processes defined for assertions. Further, the IDE toolmay be configured to add and remove assertions from program source codebased on a variety of parameters. For example, the IDE tool may add andremove assertions based on performance (e.g., removing assertions thathinder performance of compiled code) or changes in source code (e.g.,inserting or activating assertions based on the location of the changeor code that may be affected by the change).

FIG. 1 illustrates an example computing environment 100, according toone embodiment. As shown, the computing environment includes a pluralityof computing systems 110 ₁-110 _(n), a data store 120, and a network130. As shown, each client device 110 ₁-110 _(n) may be connected withsource code repository 120 via a network 130. For example, network 130may include the Internet, an intranet, a local area network, etc.

Computing system 110 may be a personal computer, workstation, mobiledevice, or any other computing device able to access network 130.Further, client device 110 may include an integrated developmentenvironment (IDE) tool 112 which may be configured to manage assertionsoutside of program source code, as described herein. As shown, IDE tool112 includes an editing interface 114 and an assertion manager 116.Editing interface 114 allows a developer to access and edit source codecomponents associated with a development project stored in source coderepository 120. Source code components include source code files,modules, functions, libraries, or portions thereof that can be viewedand/or edited in editing interface 114. Assertion manager 116 provides acomponent of the IDE tool 112 configured to manage assertions separatelyfrom the source code, as described in more detail herein.

In some embodiments, the IDE tool 112 may manage assertions on based onthe identity of a user or a group of users. Taking a mobile applicationproject as an example, one team may be responsible for a graphical userinterface (GUI), while another team may be responsible for modulesenabling communication with a central server. The GUI team may beresponsible for a different set of source code than the networkcommunications team, and members of each team may independently manageassertions for their respective portions of the project. For example, ifa developer interacting with an IDE tool 112 is associated with the GUIteam, IDE tool 112 may allow the user to only edit and manage assertionsin source code belonging to the GUI team. Development environment 112may be precluded from showing any files associated with teams outside ofthe GUI team or may only provide read-only access to those files.Accordingly, an IDE tool used by a developer associated with the GUIteam may be configured to prevent the developer from managing assertionsin code owned by other development teams.

In one embodiment, source code files for a project are stored in sourcecode repository 120. For example, project 122 may include the varioussource code files for the project as well as other data for the project.In addition, assertions defined for the source code are also stored insource code repository 120 as assertion data 124. Assertion data 124 mayinclude assertion definitions and relationships between assertiondefinitions and locations in the source code files included in project122.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example graphical user interface (GUI) 200 of anIDE tool, according to one embodiment. As illustrated, the interface 200displays the source code for a file “main.c” being edited by a developerusing editing tool 114. The IDE tool allows a developer to includeassertions in source code. However, rather than including the content ofan assertion inline with source code, the IDE tool may store theassertions separately from the source code file.

Further, when a developer accesses a source code file, the IDE tool (andspecifically, the assertion manager) may determine whether anyassertions have been defined for that file. If so, the IDE tool maypresent an indication in the editing interface points in the source codewhere an assertion has been defined. For example, icons 202 ₁₋₂ indicatepoints in the source code where an assertion has been defined.Specifically, icon 202 ₁ indicates that an assertion has been definedfor line 1204 of the file “main.c”. When the developer compiles thesource code in this file, the IDE tool inserts in the source codesupplied to a compiler. In some cases, the assertion manager may furtherdetermine if the IDE tool should display an assertion and insert theassertion in the source code based on a variety of parameters, such asassertion priority, scope, or other parameters, as described herein.

In one embodiment, the editing interface of the IDE tool will displayicons 202 for any assertions that will be included when the source codeis compiled. Alternatively, however, the interface could show differenticons to indicate whether an assertion is currently “active” or“inactive” (or other properties). GUI 200 may display icons 202 forpublic assertions, private assertions owned by the user of the GUI,assertions “owned” by a development team, or any combination thereof.

When a developer selects an icon 202, or creates an assertion, the IDEtool displays a dialog box 204 in the GUI. Dialog box 204 prompts adeveloper to specify source code for the assertion and any parametersused to manage whether the assertion is included in the code at compiletime. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, dialog box 204 includes anediting pane 206 used to define the content of an assertion. Asillustrated, the assertion at line 1204 checks whether an input is null.

Scope field 208 allows a user to define the scope of an assertion. Anassertion may generally be visible to any developer which accesses thesource code file, allowing any developer working on the project to viewor edit this assertion, as well as include the assertion in the sourcecode at compile-time. In contrast, the IDE tool may present assertionsmarked as private to only the developer who defined that assertion. Insome embodiments, whether an assertion is visible may depend on whethera developer is a member of a given user group. That is, in addition to“private’—all users—and “public”—one user—assertions may be visible to agroup of users. Such a scope may allow a team of developers to access anassertion (e.g., the GUI team in the mobile application example above)but prevent other teams of users (e.g., the network team in the mobileapplication example above) from accessing the assertion.

Field 210 allows a user to define when an assertion expires—that is,when an assertion should not be included in source code when compiled.As shown the expiration is defined as a date. However, the expirationcould also be defined as a number of days an assertion should remainactive or as a number of days after an assertion last failed. That is,if the assertion does not fail within the defined time period, theassertion manager may stop including the assertion in futurecompilations of the source code.

Type field 212 allows a user to define if an assertion is static ordynamic. Static assertions are inserted into source code during thecompilation process. In contrast, dynamic assertions may be insertedinto source as appropriate. The IDE tool may need to manage codeexecuted by an interpreter, such as PERL, Python, or Java code. Forprojects developed in an interpreted language, dynamic assertions may beinserted into code without requiring recompilation of the code; instead,code defining the dynamic assertion can be provided to an interpreterwhen execution of the compiled code reaches a specified location.

Run once field 214 allows a user specify that assertion should be runonly one time. If selected, the IDE tool includes the assertion insource code only once. For example, for a static assertion, the IDE toolmay track whether the assertion has been included in compiled code orwhether the project was built and run from the IDE tool (e.g., in adebugging environment). For dynamic assertions, the IDE tool may beconfigured to insert the assertion at the specified location only oncewhen the source code is passed to runtime engine for interpreted code.

In each of the cases discussed above, the IDE may store the assertionsseparately from the source code files of a development project. Further,while the above discussion illustrates some parameters (scope,expiration time, type, and run-once), assertions may be defined byadditional parameters, some of which are discussed below.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method for an IDE tool to manage assertionsassociated with program source code, according to one embodiment. Asshown, method 300 begins at 310, where the IDE tool receives a requestto insert an assertion in program source code. The request may be, forexample, a keyboard command, selection from a menu, a mouse input, or acombination of inputs.

At 320, the IDE tool, prompts a developer to specify source code for theassertion itself, as well as for any properties to associate with theassertion. As discussed above, the prompt may take the form of a GUIwindow with fields for specifying the source code for the assertion andany properties to associate with the assertion. As discussed above, theproperties may be used by the IDE tool to decide whether to include theassertion in source code at compile time (for static assertions) orruntime (for dynamic assertions).

At 330, once defined, the IDE tool may store the assertion as part of adevelopment project. The IDE tool may further maintain an associationindicating the line of source code where the assertion is inserted. Asnoted, however, the assertion is not included in the source code file.The assertion may be stored, for example, in a database, flat files, orany other appropriate format.

At 340, the IDE tool receives a request to compile the program sourcecode (or project which includes the program source code). In response,the IDE tool identifies assertions associated with the source code, aswell as properties of the assertions. The properties are used todetermine whether the assertion should be included in the source code.Active assertions are included in source code, while inactive assertionsare not. As discussed above, public assertions and assertions belongingto the user or user's group are included, while assertions belonging toother users or groups are not included. At 350, the IDE tool inserts thesource code of each assertion into the program source code at theidentified locations. At 360, the source code is compiled.

The IDE tool may be configured to monitor when an assertion is run. Oncea “run once” assertion is executed, the IDE tool may deactivate theassertion (e.g., by marking the assertion as inactive in an assertionrepository). In future compilations, the IDE tool determines that theassertion has already been run and does not insert the assertion intosource code for compilation. For other assertions, the IDE tool maytrack and record “last ran” data for the assertion. Based on the “lastran” date, the IDE determines if an assertion was last run within aspecified time window, as described above. If the “last run” date isoutside of the specified time window, the IDE does not insert theassertion into source code when the project or source code file iscompiled.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example user-interface interface 400 of an IDEtool, according to one embodiment. As with user-interface 200, userinterface 400 displays source code of a file, icons 202 indicatingpoints in the source code which are associated with an assertion, and adialog box 404. Dialog box 404 includes an editing pane 206, in which adeveloper defines the content of an assertion. Dialog box 404 alsoincludes a scope field 208, expiration field 210, assertion type field212, and “run once” field 214, as described above with respect to FIG.2.

In addition to the parameters shown in dialog box 204 of FIG. 2, dialogbox 404 includes a field 406 for specifying a priority level for anassertion. In some cases, priority definitions can be relatively coarse,such as providing options to define an assertion as low, medium, or highpriority. In other cases, priority definitions can allow for finercontrol of assertion priority.

As shown, user interface 400 also includes a field 408, which allows auser to specify a utilization constraint. The utilization constraintdefines an amount of resources available for assertions inserted intocode. In some cases, a user may define a percentage of time evaluatingassertions in compiled code. However, resource utilization may bedefined using any appropriate resource utilization metric (e.g., memoryusage).

FIG. 5 illustrates an example table of assertions and a score for eachassertion. In one embodiment, the scores and priority are used to managewhat insertions are included in compiled code based on assertionpriority and resource availability. As illustrated, each assertion isassociated with a priority, an average time to run the assertion, anaverage number of times the assertion has been executed each time thecompiled code is run, a total average time per program run for eachassertion, and a total score. The total score may be based on thepriority of an assertion, an average time to run the assertion, and anaverage number of times the assertion is run during execution. Asillustrated, a multiplier may be used to weight assertion score based onpriority.

The IDE tool may select which assertions to include in futurecompilations of the project based on the score for each assertion andthe utilization constraint. The utilization constraint can be a maximumutilization for all assertions included in the source code or can be amaximum utilization for each assertion individually. Using the tableillustrated in FIG. 5, and assuming that a developer has specified autilization constraint of executing all assertions within 8000 ms, theIDE can determine that Assertion 5 should be removed from the executablethe next time the program is compiled. While Assertion 3 uses moreprogram execution time (a total of 4400 ms versus 4000 ms used byAssertion 5), the lower priority for Assertion 5 increases the score forAssertion 5 above the score for Assertion 3. After compiling andexecuting the updated executable does not include Assertion 5. The IDEcontinues to gather (and update) resource utilization data compared tothe threshold. If the assertion resource utilization exceeds theutilization constraint, the IDE can proceed to remove more assertionsbased on the total score. Using the table illustrated in FIG. 5 as anexample, the next assertion to be removed would be Assertion 3, followedby Assertion 4, Assertion 2, and Assertion 1, respectively. Assumingthat a developer has specified a utilization constraint of executingeach assertion individually within 3000 ms, the IDE can determine thatAssertions 3 and 5 should be removed.

FIG. 6 illustrates a method for managing assertions based on priorityand resource utilization, according to one embodiment. As shown, method600 begins at 610, where the IDE tool identifies assertions, prioritiesassociated with the assertions, and a resource utilization threshold. Asdescribed above, the resource utilization threshold may be an amount orpercentage of program execution time or some other resource utilizationmetric. At 620, the IDE compiles the source code with the identifiedassertion, and at 630, the IDE executes a program compiled from thesource code (or from compiling the project which includes the sourcecode).

At 640, while executing the program, the IDE captures resourceutilization data for each assertion. Resource utilization data may belogged, for example, in flat files, a database, or using any otherappropriate logging method. Resource utilization data may be logged overone or multiple executions of the executable.

At 650, the IDE determines if total resource utilization exceeds theresource utilization threshold. For example, determining that resourceutilization exceeds the threshold may entail determining the totalamount of execution time for the executable, the amount of executiontime used to process the assertions, and determining the percentage ofthe total execution time was used for processing the identifiedassertions. If resource utilization for the identified assertionsexceeds the threshold, the IDE identifies assertions to remove at 660.Assertion removal may be based on priority and resource utilization foreach assertion. At 670, the IDE recompiles the source code, but doesinclude assertions below the priority/resource levels.

In some cases, assertions may be managed based on program size. If anexecutable exceeds a pre-defined size, one or more assertions may beremoved to reduce the size of the executable below the pre-defined size.For example, the assertion, a table may be defined that correlatesassertion priority and the size of each assertion (e.g., in bytes). Aswith managing assertions based on processing time, the IDE can identifyassertions to remove in subsequent compilations of source code. Managingassertions based on priority and program size may be used, for example,in embedded systems, or systems where minimizing executable size isimportant.

In one embodiment, assertions which have been removed or disabled may be“reactivated” based on changes to the program source code. For example,assertions may be defined with an expiration date, an active timeperiod, or marked as “run once.” In each case, once the conditionsspecified with that assertion have been satisfied, the IDE tool may markthe assertion as inactive. Once the assertion is marked as inactive, theIDE tool no longer considers that assertion as a candidate to beincluded in program source code when compiled. In some cases, the timethe assertion remains active may be related to code complexity.Assertions associated with more complex code may have a longer activeduration than assertions associated with less complex code. The IDE toolmay determine code complexity based on, for example, the history of thecode and defects found in the code or by user assessment of codecomplexity. Other methods for determining code complexity may be basedon, for example, the size of the changed code (assuming that as theamount of changed code changes, the chance for problems to arise in codeincreases), a number of cross-component interactions, or the frequencythe changed code is used.

In one embodiment, the IDE tool may activate assertions after assertionshave expired or otherwise been deactivated. For example, when codechanges, the IDE tool may identify assertions to activate in the changedfile and importantly for other files as well. An example of this isillustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, which illustrate example dependencygraphs (or call graphs) showing a plurality of functions. As usedherein, the term “function” includes any method, unit method, member,procedure, etc. that is called by name in program source code. Asillustrated, Function A calls Function D, which then calls Function F.Functions B and C call Function E, which then calls Functions F and G.Function C also calls Function H. As illustrated in FIG. 7B, Function E*represents a change to the source code of Function E. Based on thedependencies, the IDE tool may activate certain assertions. For example,the IDE tool may activate assertions for Function E* (the changedfunction), Functions B and C (which call Function E*), and Functions Fand G (which are called by Function E*).

For example, in Functions B and C, the IDE tool may only activateassertions in code after Function E* is called and slightly beforeFunction E* is called. In some cases, the IDE can activate assertions inmore than the immediate dependents of a changed function. For example,assertions may be activated for the functions that call Functions B andC. Determining functions in which assertions may be activated may bebased, for example, on code complexity.

In one embodiment, the IDE tool may evaluate code coverage informationto determine which assertions should be activated. Coverage informationtracks a number of lines of code before and after a specified location.Using the set of predecessor and successor lines based on the locationof a code change, an IDE can identify the assertions to be activated.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method for determining code coverage, which may beused to determine assertions to be activated. When source code of aproject file is changed, the IDE tool can use code coverage informationto identify a predecessor set of code (code before a modified element)and a successor set of code (code after a modified element). The IDEtool can activate assertions associated with code in the predecessor andsuccessor sets of code that are not currently active. Method 800 beginsat 810, where a next line of code to execute is retrieved. If the lineis the last line, method 800 ends. If not, at 820, the line is added toa set of successor executed lines of code. At 830, the line is added toa queue of previously executed lines. In adding the line to a queue ofpreviously executed lines, the oldest line may be pushed out of thequeue to allow for adding the line to the queue.

In another embodiment, the IDE tool adds or reactivates assertions basedon reaching definition data within debug data. A given instructioncreates a reaching definition if the instruction reaches anotherinstruction without an intervening variable assignment. If a source codelocation is changed and definitions are created by this changed code,assertions can be added or activated at any location these definitionsreach. In some cases, assertions for the starting reaching point mayalso be activated.

In still further embodiments, the IDE may allow users to selectassertions to activate. For example, the IDE tool may allow a user tochange a function in a source code file and manually specify that anassertion should be activated for a specified period of time.

FIG. 9 illustrates a method for activating assertions based on codechanges. Method 900 may begin at 910, where the IDE identifies a changeto at least one line of source code in a project having managedassertions. At 920, the IDE tool selectively identifies assertions toinsert based on the change. As discussed above, the selectiveidentification may be based on dependency graphs (or call graphs),coverage information, reaching definitions, or manual input. At 930, theIDE tool inserts any assertions selected at step 920 and compiles thesource code. At 940, the IDE launches the complied program.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example computing system 1000, according to anembodiment of the present invention. As shown, computing environment1000 includes computer system 1010. Computer system 1010 is included tobe representative of existing computer systems, e.g., desktop computers,server computers, laptop computers, tablet computers and the like.However, embodiments of the invention are not limited to any particularcomputing system, application, device, or network architecture andinstead, may be adapted to take advantage of new computing systems andplatforms as they become available. Further, although FIG. 1 illustratesa single computer system, those skilled in the art will recognize thatembodiments of the invention may be adapted for use on multiple systemsconfigured to communicate over a network. Additionally, those skilled inthe art will recognize that the illustration of computer system 1010 issimplified to highlight aspects of the present invention and thatcomputing systems and data communication networks typically include avariety of additional elements not shown in FIG. 1.

As shown, computer system 1010 includes one or more processors 1020, astorage device 1030, memory 1040, and a networking device 1050, allconnected by a bus 1012. Computer system 1010 may be connected to one ormore display devices 1014 and one or more input devices 1016. User inputdevices 1016 may include a mouse pointing device, a keyboard, pen inputdevices, and the like. Display devices 1014 may include CRT monitors,LCD displays, projectors, and the like. The processing activity andhardware resources on computer system 1010 may be managed by anoperating system (not shown). Network device 1050 may connect computersystem 1010 to a data communications network, including both wired andwireless networks.

Storage device 1030 may store application programs and data for use bycomputer system 1010. Typical storage devices include hard-disk drives,flash memory devices, optical media, network and virtual storagedevices, and the like. As shown, storage device 1030 contains adevelopment project 1032 and an assertion data store 1034. Developmentproject 1032 may contain a variety of files including source code,compilation configuration files, debugging information, and otherartifacts used to develop a software application. Assertion data store1034 may be, for example, a database, a series of flat files, or someother appropriate data repository.

As shown, memory 1040 stores an IDE tool 1042, a project file 1044, andan assertion manager 1046.

IDE tool 1042 provides a programming environment that assists a computerprogrammer in developing software. IDE tool 1042 may include a sourcecode editor, a compiler and/or interpreter, build-automation tools, anda debugger (not shown). Other components provided by IDE tool 1042 mayinclude a version control system, a class browser, an object inspectorand, a class hierarchy diagram generator, etc.

Project file 1044 represents a file included in development project 1032that is being edited by a developer using IDE tool 1042 (e.g., a sourcecode file of a software application). IDE tool 1042 may display the textof the source code to the developer on display device 1014 and providean interface that allows the user to edit project file 1044.

Assertion manager 1046 manages assertions in project file 1044.Assertion manager 1046 may interact with assertion data store 1034 toadd or modify assertions stored outside of source code in a project file1044 and development project 1032. Rather, the IDE tool stores thesource code and parameters for each assertion in storage device 1030 asassertion data and maintains data sufficient to identify the source codefiles and locations in source code associated with the each assertion.During execution of a program compiled from development project 1032,assertion manager 1046 may monitor the performance of assertions in anexecutable and determine assertions to be removed from program sourcecode, as described herein. Further, assertion manager 1046 may monitorfor changes in source code and activate assertions based on the changesto source code, as described herein.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent invention may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

Embodiments of the invention may be provided to end users through acloud computing infrastructure. Cloud computing generally refers to theprovision of scalable computing resources as a service over a network.More formally, cloud computing may be defined as a computing capabilitythat provides an abstraction between the computing resource and itsunderlying technical architecture (e.g., servers, storage, networks),enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool ofconfigurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned andreleased with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.Thus, cloud computing allows a user to access virtual computingresources (e.g., storage, data, applications, and even completevirtualized computing systems) in “the cloud,” without regard for theunderlying physical systems (or locations of those systems) used toprovide the computing resources.

Typically, cloud computing resources are provided to a user on apay-per-use basis, where users are charged only for the computingresources actually used (e.g. an amount of storage space consumed by auser or a number of virtualized systems instantiated by the user). Auser can access any of the resources that reside in the cloud at anytime, and from anywhere across the Internet. In context of the presentinvention, a user may access applications (e.g., the integrateddevelopment environment) or related data available in the cloud. Forexample, the integrated development environment could execute on acomputing system in the cloud to management assertions outside ofprogram source code. In such a case, the IDE could manage assertionsoutside of program source code and store information defining suchassertions at a storage location in the cloud at a storage location inthe cloud. Doing so allows a user to access this information from anycomputing system attached to a network connected to the cloud (e.g., theInternet).

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like,and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention,other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised withoutdeparting from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof isdetermined by the claims that follow.

1.-8. (canceled)
 9. A computer program product, comprising: anon-transitory computer readable medium having computer program codeembodied therewith, the computer readable code being configured toperform an operation for managing assertions in program source code inan integrated development environment (IDE), the operations comprising:receiving, from a user interacting with an integrated developmentenvironment (IDE) tool, a request to execute an application built fromsource code of a development project; identifying changes to the sourcecode of the development project from a previous version of the sourcecode; and based on the changes to the source code, selectivelyidentifying one or more assertions to insert in the source code based onthe identified changes.
 10. The computer program product of claim 9,wherein the operations further comprise: prior to compiling the sourcecode, inserting the identified assertions into the source code, whereineach assertion is inserted at a location in the source code, asspecified by the identified assertions.
 11. The computer program productof claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise: launching theapplication built from the source code; and while executing theapplication, inserting the identified assertions into the source codewhen program execution reaches a location specified by one of theidentified assertions selectively identified to be included.
 12. Thecomputer program product of claim 9, wherein selectively identifying oneor more assertion to insert in the program source code comprises:identifying one or more changes to dependencies based on the changes tothe source code; and identifying the one or more assertions to insertbased on the identified changes to dependencies.
 13. The computerprogram product of claim 9, wherein the selectively identifyingcomprises: determining code coverage information based on the one ormore changes to the source code, wherein the code coverage informationincludes a set of predecessor code executed before the changed sourcecode and a set of successor code executed after the changed source code;and identifying the one or more assertions to insert in the source codebased on the code coverage information.
 14. The computer program productof claim 9, wherein the selectively identifying comprises: receivingreaching definition information from debug data; and identifying the oneor more assertions to insert based on the reaching definitioninformation.
 15. A system, comprising: a processor; and a memory storinginstructions, which, when executed by the processor, perform anoperation for managing assertions in program source code in anintegrated development environment (IDE), the operations comprising:receiving, from a user interacting with an integrated developmentenvironment (IDE) tool, a request to execute an application built fromsource code of a development project; identifying changes to the sourcecode of the development project from a previous version of the sourcecode; and based on the changes to the source code, selectivelyidentifying one or more assertions to insert in the source code based onthe identified changes.
 16. The system of claim 9, wherein theoperations further comprise: prior to compiling the source code,inserting the identified assertions into the source code, wherein eachassertion is inserted at a location in the source code, as specified bythe identified assertions.
 17. The system of claim 9, wherein theoperations further comprise: launching the application built from thesource code; and while executing the application, inserting theidentified assertions into the source code when program executionreaches a location specified by one of the identified assertionsselectively identified to be included.
 18. The system of claim 9,wherein selectively identifying one or more assertion to insert in theprogram source code comprises: identifying one or more changes todependencies based on the changes to the source code; and identifyingthe one or more assertions to insert based on the identified changes todependencies.
 19. The system of claim 9, wherein the selectivelyidentifying comprises: determining code coverage information based onthe one or more changes to the source code, wherein the code coverageinformation includes a set of predecessor code executed before thechanged source code and a set of successor code executed after thechanged source code; and identifying the one or more assertions toinsert in the source code based on the code coverage information. 20.The system of claim 9, wherein the selectively identifying comprises:receiving reaching definition information from debug data; andidentifying the one or more assertions to insert based on the reachingdefinition information.